Thursday, February 09, 2012

When The Early Church Prayed Together

Let's go to the book of Acts and just walk through it together and see for ourselves.
Acts 1:14
After Jesus had ascended to heaven the 11 apostles gathered to pray: "All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers." There were about 120 in all and they prayed for about ten days.

The result of this season of praying together was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost described in 2:1–4.

Acts 2:42
After Peter's sermon at Pentecost, and the conversion of 3,000 people, Luke describes their life together like this: "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."

The following verse describes the result of this life together: "And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles."

Acts 4:24–30
Peter and John were arrested for teaching in the temple about Jesus. They kept them over night, threatened them, and then let them go. They went to their friends who were praying together. Acts 4:24–30 records the prayer that went up from the group—a prayer that magnifies the sovereignty of God and glories in his power.

Then verse 31 records what happened because of this praying together: "And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness."

Acts 6:6
When the first deacons were chosen in the early church, it says in Acts 6:6, "These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands upon them."

Verse 7 describes what happened next: "And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith."

Acts 12:5, 12
Herod was holding Peter in prison after killing James the Lord's brother. The response of the church was to get together to pray: "So Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church."

The result was that an angel of the Lord released Peter. And right there in the middle of the night Peter goes to the house of Mary the mother of John Mark because this must have been the prayer house. Verse 12: "He went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying." So the prayer of the gathered church was powerful to rescue Peter from prison and keep the gospel advancing.

Acts 13:2–3
In Antioch some teachers and prophets were together worshiping and fasting, and the Lord spoke to them that Barnabas and Saul should be set aside as frontier missionaries. So they prayed and fasted some more and then laid hands on them and sent them off.

Acts 14:23
In all the churches that Paul and Barnabas established they prayed together as they appointed leaders for the churches.

Acts 16:25
Paul and Silas are in prison in Philippi. It is midnight and they are singing hymns and praying. The result: an earthquake, an open jail, the conversion of the jailer, and a new church.

Acts 20:36
At his final departure from Asia, Paul met the elders of the Ephesian church on the beach at Miletus and spoke to them one last time. Then verse 36 describes their final act together: "And when he had spoken thus, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And they wept and embraced Paul and kissed him."

Jesus taught us to pray, "OUR Father," not just my Father; and so he led the church toward the powerful experience of praying together and not just alone. We as followers of Jesus Christ must have personal time of prayer as our Lord did, but we must also pray together and realize that as we pray others are praying.

This information was taken from a message by John Piper.

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